Apparently gnomes have no racial weapon I could find. If imagine this would be like a bastard sword in general concept.

Swappable Weapon Template

Gnomish Knosa-Zaya (Quick-Spear)
Melee Quarterstaff
Pole Pike

This weapon consists of a famously-balanced shaft within which a long, slender, dual-edged, spring-loaded blade hides. Upon activation the blade springs out to add slice and pierce damage with associated messaging at the cost of balance.

Perhaps instead of swapping template like a bastie, the blade could spring out and retract pre and post strike automatically, the blade snapping out for THRUST and SLICE type commands and staying a staff with BASH type. Perhaps this would be like adding that odd +Slice/+Pierce type brawling damage to a staff? I don't know; just tossing stuff out. Heh. Even just a bastie-type forging template would be really awesome.

Oh and I call first dibs on the first one Caraamon makes. :P

Without the curved end, yeah, pretty close. Heh. I also developed this for a few reasons:

- Gnomish mechanical affinity without breaking genre by using a spring-loaded blade. Surprise!

- Balance is a gnome's best friend [IMO]. A straight column can be made pretty darn balanced.

- ICly, this weapon has reach. Obvious advantages here ;)

- In an RP I'm doing gnomes once fought shapeshifters [Ocular] and developed a cultural affinity for adaptable weapons (pole to grapple, swappable damage types). I figured even without the RP gnomish culture would value adaptability.

>Without the curved end, yeah, pretty close. Heh. I also developed this for a few reasons:

A cane is not a walking stick, as most people think. In combat terms, it's a short staff, of varying lengths.

Imagine it as the weapon used in Filipino martial arts, like a kali/escrima stick.

>This weapon consists of a famously-balanced shaft within which a long, slender, dual-edged, spring-loaded blade hides. Upon activation the blade springs out to add slice and pierce damage with associated messaging at the cost of balance.

There are other weapons which do this (there is a bladed cane in DR, but it's lackluster). I don't know that the 'mechanical' hidden/spring blade would really fly in DR, most of the weapon tech is old, and we don't have the tech to really do that currently.

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I'm a badger, I be badgerin'

<<There are other weapons which do this (there is a bladed cane in DR, but it's lackluster). I don't know that the 'mechanical' hidden/spring blade would really fly in DR, most of the weapon tech is old, and we don't have the tech to really do that currently.

There are several examples of mechanical hidden/spring blades in game already, although I'm not sure of their relative IC rarity. Crafting one, however, would make use of the Tinkering discipline in the Engineering skill to at least some degree I assume.

Go troll/forum stalk someone else. Preferably someone whose name is actually Rob.

>There are several examples of mechanical hidden/spring blades in game already, although I'm not sure of their relative IC rarity. Crafting one, however, would make use of the Tinkering discipline in the Engineering skill to at least some degree I assume.

As far as I'm aware, the 'hidden' blades are all fixed blades which swing out. Like pocket knives (indeed, the faldenblades are...large pocket knives). What NRAY was proposing was a weapon with a hidden blade which was spring (or otherwise) actuated to pop out, like a jack in the box, at least how I read it.

>Do you mean game engine tech or Elanthian tech?

The game engine would see another swappable weapon. I meant actual weapon technology in DR. You have to bear in mind that there is a reason you don't see any weaponry like you're suggesting in real life, for actual combat use. It would be incredibly delicate, which basically translates to 'going to break all the dang time' for what really amounts to an odd bit of flair. The only reason I mention it is, DR has gone to painstaking lengths to only create 'realistic' weapons. Repeating crossbows are actually existent, from roughly something close to DR's time frame. Same goes for explosives, naphtha, and similar things. Generally speaking, we can make blunt weaponry which extends, and is functional in an extended position (asps, and similar expandable batons) for concealment. But it's difficult veering into impossible to create something that is functional as a tiny weapon and a full sized one.

Now, your suggestion here, was a staff/spear. Some of those exist, and are quest end-prizes. It's strictly the 'hidden blade' mechanism I was looking at going 'maybe not so much in DR?'. Remember that a slice/stab blade at the end of a 5 foot stick needs to be incredibly sturdy and well fixed, otherwise it's simply going to sheer off, or otherwise malfunction.

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I'm a badger, I be badgerin'

<<As far as I'm aware, the 'hidden' blades are all fixed blades which swing out.

I could swear there are some wrist blades or daggers or something which 'snick' out when activated just like that staff you mentioned... but I can't find them on elanthipedia.

I thought there was some too but okay if you want it to be a staff that's a huge pocket knife okay. lol. Foldout would work I guess. Lets face it, though, it would be a point of gnomish pride to keep that thing in repair. ;) There are durable metals, anyway, all over the place in elanthia so the spring and such would be okay. I don't think its all that advanced, like a little lever or something or just push it back in hard to click it back into place. These are gnomes, here. So yeah, like a gnomish-staff-sized (4.5ft long, 2'' round?) switchblade with a 1.5'' to 1' triangular blade about 1/5' to 2' long to both stab and slice with at the cost of balance and, as noted, a durability hit in the template. Is this even feasible, I wonder? Forgable-ness, I guess? :p
I would like to incorporate Engineering skill as a confound/bonus, too some kind of way. That makes total sense. Perhaps REPAIR STAFF uses engineering and REPAIR BLADE uses forging?

Wasn't there a walking stick a long time ago where you turned the head and a pokey blade popped out the bottom? Not that it matters this is a text game where we have a giant Wild Wild West walking mechanical spider and moonlight light sabers.

Gnomes have devious minds and small hands good for all sorts of things. I'm sure they can come up with spring loaded blades too.

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Vote:
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Aren't razor traps spring loaded?

Also, I don't think springs are out of character for Elanthia. Elanthia already has steampunk technology so a spring is manageable.

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Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.

Oh there is tension. It is loaded, so to speak. The gnome pushes a button to release the spring's tension and thus the blade. Later, just stick it in the ground and lean into it to hide it.

Also, what do you think of "Repair Staff = Engineering + Repair Blade = Forging"? Fun? Feasable?

If the staecklumba is something that can be used in combat without being overly worried about the mechanism breaking, I'd imagine something involving springs could be made to work through Gnomish ingenuity and all that. The expanding and collapsing messages for the staecklumba seem to indicate that it has built in hydraulics or something, which would probably more complex than something spring-loaded. (For reference: You give your steel staecklumba a few quick shakes and it quickly grows with a quiet hiss to its full length.) A piercing blade seems like it would be easier to make structurally sound than something for slashing, though.

- Miskton

I'd also like to add that so far I've been more than fine with reading all your posts, Krooner. I don't want to give the impression that I want anyone to stop getting involved with the game like this.

<<The last thing we need is to eventually have gnomes flying around in zeppelins

Umm, hate to break it to you but that boundary has been crossed years ago.

https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Airship

Giant. Mechanical. Spider.

Also P5 is WAY more technologically advanced then I think most people realize. Stop and read the room descriptions in Hibarnhvidar sometime, they have electricity.

-Raesh

"Ever notice that B.A.'s flavor text swells in direct proportion to how much one of our characters is getting screwed?" - Brian Van Hoose

>Giant. Mechanical. Spider.

Before the spider there was a dragon. A giant mechanical dragon. That really flew. And always seemed to break down around Crossings.

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A brief, unbidden thought crosses your mind that you just implicated yourself and Anjinson in the murder of Terald Sanfala. You wonder if anyone will notice.

I'd also like to share that the 'spring = engineering + weapon = forging' concept in the same item has gone over really well so far. Is this even possible?

Ah, good. I like the idea of Sylvaeus learning Engineering by bending over a workbench and tinkering with his Knosa-Zaya to clean the gore from the springs and keep the weapon functioning smoothly followed by learning Forging by repairing the spear blade and most parts of the quarterstaff itself.